


Speak Now

by hopesbarnes



Category: Captain America (Movies), Marvel Cinematic Universe
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Angst with a Happy Ending, Based on a Taylor Swift Song, Best Friends, Childhood Friends, F/M, Fluff and Angst, Friends to Lovers, Song: Speak Now (Taylor Swift), Weddings
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-12-10
Updated: 2019-12-10
Packaged: 2021-02-26 07:08:03
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,672
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21749548
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/hopesbarnes/pseuds/hopesbarnes
Summary: Your best friend’s wedding is just wrong. Wrong dress, wrong decor, and mostly wrong bride for him to marry.Based on the song: Speak Now by Taylor Swift
Relationships: James "Bucky" Barnes/Natasha Romanov, James "Bucky" Barnes/Reader
Comments: 5
Kudos: 69





	Speak Now

Everything was wrong. You’d imagined this wedding a thousand different ways, a thousand different times. But it never looked like this. The ten bridesmaids are dressed in varying pastel shades, and their dresses could rival that of a Toddlers and Tiaras competitor. There’s enough tulle that the dresses could probably stand straight up on their own. The archway is covered in tacky balloons ranging in colors to match the bridesmaid gowns. The wedding dress resembles a cupcake and has a see-through corset top. 

It’s far from the simple modern wedding you envisioned. You imagined flowy chiffon dark teal dresses on your two best friends. The bouquets would be simple, white roses surrounded with baby’s breath. The wedding dress would have lace, long sleeves, and flow effortlessly as you walked down the aisle. A perfect day, to marry the perfect man. 

But it’s not the perfect day. It’s not even your day at all. It’s hers. She won him over, and he proposed to  _ her _ . As the so-called ‘best friend’ you had to accept the invite and quiet the voice that wanted to scream Julia Roberts’ “Choose me, marry me, let me make you happy” line from My Best Friend’s Wedding. 

You walk down the hall towards the men’s dressing and overhear Natasha yell at her bridesmaids because their nails were painted the wrong color. Yikes. How Bucky fell in love with a nightmare like her you’d never know. How he didn’t see you all along you’d never know either. You get to the room to find Bucky and Steve both staring dumbfounded at the tie around Bucky’s neck. 

“How the two of you made it this far in life, I’ll never know,” you say entering the room.

“With clip-on ties and Ma’s who pitied us,” Steve answers and you tie both men’s ties. 

“You look handsome, she’s a lucky girl,” you say tightening the material and kissing his cheek. “I’d say Peg’s lucky too but let’s face it she is way better than you.” 

“Oh, I am not arguing with that. I don’t know who told her to take a chance with someone like me, but I thank my lucky stars they did,” the blonde man says blissfully. The two of them had been married for 5 years now and had a 2-year-old girl named Sarah. They had another baby on the way, but you weren’t even sure if Peggy had told her husband yet so you didn’t dare share that secret. 

“How are ya’ feeling?” you ask the darker hair man. 

“Nervous, and like I’m forgetting something,” he admits. You manage a weak smile back. You thought it’d be easier watching the man you were desperately in love with getting ready for his wedding to another girl. He wasn’t yours, he never was. So why was this so hard?

“I’m sure she’s made sure everything was in order. I should go grab a seat, just wanted to make sure you were good,” you manage to squeak out. A part of you was hoping he would be a mess and want to call off the whole engagement. 

He smiled back and you snuck from the room. Thankfully the bathroom was nearby and you were able to make it in there before the tears started falling. Your entire life you pictured marrying this man, and now it was really hitting that you wouldn’t.

It was Kindergarten when you first met his blue eyes. The two of you only 5 then. You fell at recess which caused you to skin your knee and pull the bow from your hair. Everyone continued to play, but Bucky. He tried to retie your hair (it failed but made you giggle) and after that, you were by his side for good. 

In Middle School things shifted, he no longer was Bucky who came over for playdates. He was Bucky, the boy with cute floppy hair and a smile that made you swoon. He was your first crush, and you longed for the day he would tell you he liked you too. But that day didn’t come and you remained friends throughout the awkward years.

Then in High School, he became popular. With High School came Steve. The huge jock surprised you by being kind-hearted. He was already dating Peggy and she became your best friend quickly. The two men met through football. Bucky was Quarterback, co-captain with Steve and everyone wanted to date him. You included. He never looked at you that way though. Instead, he dated a new girl every month and followed the cheerleaders like a lovesick fool. It didn’t matter that you were on the Cheer team too, or laughed at his jokes. He only saw you as his best friend. 

The four of you both were accepted to the same school for college and you roomed with Peggy while Bucky roomed with Steve. The two of them knew you were completely in love with the guy and tried their hardest to make him see that he cared for you as well. But it never happened. You decided the time would never come and dated for the first time. A series of people came and went, and every time you compared them to the guy you grew up with. 

After college, Bucky met the redhead at work. She was the first woman he had to chase after, and the first one that lasted longer than two months. He never saw her snobby behavior, or that she was horrible to be around. Peggy couldn’t stand to be around the woman, and Steve struggled to find nice things to say. But when he proposed everyone faked a smile and congratulated him. If he was happy, you were happy. Right?

Except now here you are, in a bathroom at your best friend’s (love of your life) wedding sobbing. It should be you in the dress, getting the guy. You knew him better than he knew himself. You knew his favorite band, held him when he found out his mom died, stayed up for hours helping him study for tests. You were the one who deserved the happily ever after. 

But he did too, and his happily ever after didn’t involve you. So you caught your breath, wiped your tears, and fixed your dress. It was selfish to take away from his day. So you made your way to the seats and took deep breathes as the ceremony began. 

Bucky stands at the front of the room, looking nervous. Steve stands at his side, and other friends follow in suit to form the groomsmen. The typical music starts to play, and the sound feels like nails on a chalkboard. Natasha moves down the aisle perfectly as if she were a runway model. You watch as she greets him, and he doesn’t look any calmer. 

The ceremony starts and you almost blank out. But you hear the words “speak now” and you can’t hold it back anymore. With courage found from deep within you stand. The entire room gasps and you manage to see Steve stand with a smile.

“Don’t do it. Don’t get married,” you say surprising yourself.

“Y/N, what are you doing?” Bucky asks.

“Don’t get married to her. I- It isn’t right. I should have said it years ago but I’m in love with you. I can’t stand to see you with her. You should be with me. I’m the one who makes you smile, I’m the one whos been by your side since the beginning, I’m the one who loves you so much it hurts. Watching you be with her is killing me.”

“I-”

A moment of realization hits you and you recognize that you just objected to a wedding.

“Oh my god, I can’t believe I just did that. I. I’m sorry,” you say before running out of the building. 

Outside you catch your breath and know that you’ve truly lost it. No sane person objects at a wedding. Who were you kidding, there was no way that he would give up everything for you. You made a fool of yourself in front of all your friends, and his entire family. You could never show your face again. You accept defeat and begin to walk to your car, deciding that you need to change your name and move far away. 

You grab your keys from the clutch your holding and unlock the car. 

“Wait,” you hear from behind your back. Turning you see a disheveled Bucky.

“What are you doing!” you exclaim.

“You love me?” he asks sheepishly. 

“I’m so sorry. I should have just sat quietly and not ruined everything,” you say fumbling with your hands.

“You love me?” he repeats.

“Of course I love you, James.” 

“I’ve been in love with you since the moment I heard you giggle at the ribbon I tried to tie in your hair. I thought you didn’t feel the same way and have been trying to move on for over two decades. I don’t love Natasha. I thought marrying her would get me over you.”

“You love me?” you iterate the words Bucky had asked you.

“We’re really stupid huh?” 

“I can’t believe you just ran out of your wedding.”

“I can’t believe you objected!” he says laughing.

“Do you wanna go somewhere and talk?” you ask.

“More than anything,” he says getting in your car.

The two of you drive to a diner and order a meal. You look out of place completely dressed up eating burgers. 

“Wait, what happened with the wedding?” you ask.

“Steve said he would handle it so who knows.” 

It turns out Steve let Natasha know she was horrible and shrugged his shoulders explaining everyone should take food from the reception hall and go home. 

A year and a half later another wedding happened. This one looked identical to your dreams, down to the man holding your hand and reciting his vows. But this time there were no objections. He chose you, and you actually got the happily ever after. 


End file.
